1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of copy holders for holding materials to be read and typed, and in particular, to a copy holder stand used in conjunction with a computer having a detached keyboard.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Computers and word processing workstations have proliferated in recent years. To utilize the computer, it is frequently necessary to transcribe information from copy material such as books and papers and input that information into the computer for subsequent processing. To this end, a computer operator is typically assigned to read the input copy material and enter that information into the computer via the computer keyboard.
Numerous copy holder stands have been described in the prior art which attempt to facilitate this transcription procedure. These copy holders generally provide for supporting the copy material in an upright position next to the computer.
Prior art copy holder stands generally have one or more disadvantages. Most copy holders cannot be positioned between the computer keyboard and CRT, and, instead must be placed to one side of the computer. Therefore, the computer operator must constantly look to the left or right to view the copy. This leads to neck and back strain, and can result in inefficient work and a less than satisfactory work product. Other disadvantages of currently available copy holders include their inability to support large or heavy copy and their inability to allow easy access to the computer disk drives. In this regard, prior art copy holders, when used in conjunction with a computer, generally do not provide a large sturdy surface for copy holding and do not allow easy access to the computer disk drive when inserting or removing disks.
The patented art in this field includes the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,436,271 (Manso); 4,518,140 (Ferranto); 4,709,895 (Marduck); 4,522,364 (Charney et al); 4,313,112 (Foster); 4,546,947 (Gesten).
The Manson, Ferranto and Marduck patents all disclose typical inclinable copy holders. All are designed to be rearward inclinable rather that forwardly inclinable, and all have obtrusive rear braces which prevent their placement between a computer keyboard and CRT.
The Charney et al patent discloses a desk top which is inclinable. This patent mentions that copy material or reading material must be positioned at the proper angle and distance from the reader so to avoid damaging eye strain.
The Foster patent discloses a computer workstation assembly which includes a copy holder positioned between the computer keyboard and the computer CRT. This copy holder is not inclinable, and is, in fact, permanently disposed at a low angle so that the computer operator has no choice but to view the copy from a potentially awkward angle.
The Gesten patent discloses a keyboard dust cover having an integral copy holder. The device attaches to the rear of a computer keyboard and allows a copy to be placed between the computer keyboard and CRT. The device is forwardly inclinable, and thus allows access to the computer disk drives. However, because the copy holder of this patent must be attached to the rear of the computer keyboard, there is a limit to the size and weight of any copy supported thereby and large, heavy copy will not balance properly on the keyboard. Furthermore, the mounting arrangement for the copy holder cannot be used with any current or future keyboard design. In addition, the mounting arrangement could cause wear or damage to the rear surface of the keyboard. Further, because this copy holder must be mounted to a keyboard, it can not be used in the absence of the keyboard and therefore is limited in its possible applications.
In summary, as mentioned above, in order for a copy holder to be used efficiently with a computer, it is desirable that the copy holder be placed between the computer keyboard and CRT. This allows the user to see either the keyboard, the CRT or the copy material without having to look to the left or right. This is important to prevent strain to the spinal cord and neck which can result from bending or twisting the neck to a fixed position over a period of time. While some prior art copy holders can be positioned between a computer keyboard and CRT these devices do not permit convenient access to the computer disk drive and do not provide for the support of large, heavy copy.